'Things flying all over the place': Royal Caribbean cruise ship rocked by rough weather

A Royal Caribbean International cruise ship was rocked by rough weather that shook guest cabins and caused flooding around the ship, according to travelers on board.

The line’s Voyager of the Seas was on its way back to Galveston, Texas, as part of a round-trip, five-night sailing that visited Cozumel, Mexico. The cruise originally departed on Jan. 22.

Passengers told USA TODAY the ship sailed through three bouts of rough weather that brought rain, hail and high winds beginning late in the day on Friday.

Chelsea Ireland and her husband noticed the ship was approaching dark skies and rain around 2:30 p.m. The pair decided to stay in their balcony cabin, which seemed the safest place to be but felt the ship tilt heavily to one side.

“When we tried to walk across our room, it felt like we were walking up a very steep hill,” said the 30-year-old, who lives in Frisco, Texas. “And that lasted for about five minutes.”

When they eventually left their cabin, they saw some passengers walking around in lifejackets, and praying and comforting one another in the halls.

Elaina Escobedo, 21, was around the ship’s Royal Promenade when she heard what sounded like metal dishware hitting the ground. When she and her boyfriend arrived at her grandparents’ cabin, among several family members traveling with her, she found her grandmother’s wheelchair had rolled across the room and cups of lemonade and water had spilled (her grandmother was safe on her couch).

“There were just things flying all over the place,” said Escobedo, who lives in Port Arthur, Texas. She had been on eight cruises before and felt ships rock “but nothing to this extent.” Escobedo also posted a video on TikTok that her sister filmed, showing a chair being blown across an outer deck.

Both Ireland and Escobedo said their staterooms flooded as water filled their balconies, as well, though neither were as severe as some other staterooms they saw.

Royal Caribbean did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment.

The news comes after another Royal Caribbean ship, Serenade of the Seas, also faced flooding last month. The vessel, which is currently operating the line’s nine-month Ultimate World Cruise, got caught in rough weather off the coast of South America.

For Escobedo’s part, the experience wasn’t enough to prevent her from taking another cruise – eventually. “I don’t think it’d be anytime soon,” she said.

Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Royal Caribbean cruise ship floods amid rough weather